Connecting Students to the World: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

On April 30, 1997, students from Thurgood Marshall Academic High School met for an internet chat with John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The students had studied a civil rights curriculum developed by their teacher, Brian Simmons, and surfed the online human rights curriculum developed by S. Beth Atkin and Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Facilitating the discussion were Joe Rowe, technology specialist of Thurgood Marshall High; Jocelyn Miner, a volunteer for the San Francisco Public School system; Michael Sinatra, technical administrator for the Globetrotter website; and Letitia Carper of the Institute of International Studies. Photos of the students are by L. Carper; photos of Mr. Shattuck and Harry Kreisler are by S. Beth Atkin. See also the interview with John Shattuck.

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Harry Kreisler: Hello, Thurgood Marshall. Here is Asst. Secretary of State John Shattuck, and he will take the first question.

Brian Simmons: Good morning Mr. Shattuck, My name is Brian Simmons, and these are my 11th grade US history students and we are anxiously anticipating engaging you in a discussion today of human/civil rights. Thank you in advance for your ideas and time.

Shattuck: Thank you Brian. Hello students.

Rico: Do you feel that the civil rights movement during the '60s differs from the civil rights movement of today? In what ways?

Shattuck: In the l960's the civil rights movement focused on basic issues of discrimination, but it didn't spend much time on the issues of economic differences. I think we now see that a great deal of discrimination in our country and in many other countries involves job discrimination, differences between the wealth of one group of people of one race versus another group.

Rico: What aspects of human rights interest you and make you become so involved in the civil and human rights movement? How were you influenced?

Shattuck: I grew up during the most powerful human rights movements that we have had in our own country over the last fifty years. I was influenced by both of them. The first was the struggle for basic civil rights to end the legacy of slavery which had caused suffering in our country among African Americans. The second was more complicated and involved massive protests against government policy in Southeast Asia. These protests were very controversial but under our constitution they were completely legal. I went to law school because I had been involved in both civil rights movements and I have spent my entire career continuing to pursue basic issues of freedom of speech and nondiscrimination.

Melanie: In the position you currently hold, what issues are you involved in?

Shattuck: Melanie, I have been deeply involved in our policies in Bosnia, where people were killed because of their religion and ethnic background. I was one of the early advocates of U.S. military involvement in Bosnia to protect people against this kind of genocide. I have also been very involved in our policy in Central Africa, where we are trying to prevent genocide.

Adriana: How would you define human rights and civil rights? Do you believe there's a difference between them?

Shattuck: Adriana, human rights are defined in international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as protecting freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right against racial discrimination, protection against torture or illegal killing, and the right to basic necessities of life. Civil rights in our country are an aspect of international human rights in the areas of political freedom and protection against racial discrimination. Civil rights are protected under the U.S. Constitution, so even if there were no international human rights there would be basic civil rights in the United States.

Nancy: What did you think about the civil rights movement?

Shattuck: Nancy, the civil rights movement continues. Many people think it was something that happened a long time ago and doesn't really affect them, but that is not true. The civil rights movement is people joining together to stop some terrible practice that hurts them badly in their basic humanity. For example, when children are forced to work in sweatshops producing clothing and getting very low pay, that is a violation of their civil rights. And labor unions in our country have made this a political cause. That is a continuation of the civil rights movement.

Next page: Labor and the Workplace

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